| Wizards Playoffs- 4/23/2005 With Eddie Jordan leading Antawn Jamison, Larry Hughes, Gilbert Arenas and all those Damone Browns, how could the Wizards not be in the playoffs for the first time since 1997? Of course, the other Jordan knocked the Wizards out of those playoffs before anyone noticed the playoffs had started, which is impressive considering that the first round stretches over two weeks. These Wizards are, of course, rife with talent that everyone in the league saw and knew would be successful. The Wizards are always successful especially when they make trades and pick up name players. Nothing bad ever happens. Their players don’t get injured and every player they trade for is not well beyond his peak and entering the AARP. This was a team not expected to even sniff the playoffs. Now they have a real chance to slip through the first round against an injured Chicago. With Eddy Curry injured the inside advantage for the Bulls should be drastically reduced. Not to mention Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas should not be underestimated concerning their abilities to have inspired games against nonsuperstars. Underestimate Kwame Brown all you want, you’ll still be overestimating him. No faith in Kwame but that’s why it is so fun when he surprises you with a “Why doesn’t he just always do that?” game. It is the perimeter where the Wizards excel with their Big Three. Jamison can play anywhere from the block to the three point line and awkwardly be the most consistent player on the Wizards. He even seems to get his 20-8 when he goes 0 for 10 in the first quarter and has to sit his knee. None of his shots ever seem like shots and he always looks off balance and confused. It almost looks like Kwame taking shots. Yet for Jamison it works and it works quite nicely. Despite the fact that he couldn’t push his team to victory with Vince Carter as his wingman at Carolina back in the day I think the new Jamison with the new Wizards have a shot at winning something. Jamison is a pro. He has no Chris Webber loser syndrome, at least not anymore now that the pro game humbled. Maybe it was a blessing that he was a tweener. The thief could be a shut down defender. Unfortunately Larry Hughes is too busy stealing the ball. As long as he keeps getting those steals at very opportune moments at the ends of games we’ll ignore all those times he misses in the middle of the game. He does make it fun to watch and his free flowing quasi-street style fits in nicely with the Wizards. When his midrange pull up jumper is on, especially on the break he is a force to be reckoned with. A great young player whose talent is finally coming out on a more consistent basis. Thank you Eddie Jordan. Not to mention, he does lead the league in steals. He may be the first Wizard to lead the league in anything in the last decade except for when Stack led the league in dribbling the ball in the corner with his back to the basket, refusing to pass. Gilbert Arenas is the Wizards MVP. He should be in the debate for league MVP as well. He’s in the top ten in points per game, steals per game and minutes per game. Even when Hughes and Jamison missed time with injuries Arenas kept the team going. Arenas himself somehow managed to stay healthy, a first for any good player to ever put on a Wizards uniform. Time and time again he was able to get to the basket even when every player on the court and every fan watching knew exactly what he was going to do. He wears the number zero to mock those who didn’t believe in him. A player as talented, angry and crazy as Gilbert Arenas is a true monster who could carry a team through an entire playoff series on his own. Beware of the Wizards when Arenas decides to berserk. Eddie Jordan has created the perfect system for his young, athletic team. He runs them up the court and keeps them moving throughout the possession, except for Kwame who freezes when he gets confused which is almost always. People seem to forget that the real Jordan is the mind behind the success of the Nets. He has three players in Arenas, Jamison and Hughes who can take the ball in crunch time and have a realistic shot at scoring. That is something not all teams can claim and should prove valuable in the playoffs. If those three fail there is always Damone Brown who now has some last shot experience. Luckily for these new style, running, weaving, Wizards they appear to have at least a little luck on their side. For once, the bounces are not all going the other way. Finally, the Wizards have a good chance at not only making the playoffs but winning a playoff game. A playoff series may even be in the cards. If everything falls correctly the NBA finals could be in store. That is not actually true but there is now hope in the Wizards. Maybe faith in Kwame will make a return too. |
The Gospel of Luke
| The Staff |
 | |  | |  | |  |
